Schwarzenegger surprises Vienna metro users with climate message
"Here is your chief mobility officer Arnold Schwarzenegger talking to you" -- with this announcement the "Terminator" star and former governor of California surprised Vienna public transport users on Tuesday by hailing them as "climate action heroes".
The Austrian Hollywood star is in town for an annual conference he organises on climate change.
"Thank you for your commitment to a healthy planet," he says in German in the announcement, broadcast every 30 minutes over the intercom system of all public transport, according to network operator Wiener Linien.
He continues in English that "you're all real climate action heroes, helping to unite in action and terminate pollution".
Schwarzenegger, 77, launched the summit in his native Austria eight years ago to highlight the challenges of climate change.
In his opening speech on Tuesday, Schwarzenegger, who has been an outspoken critic of US President Donald Trump, held back criticism, while calling for "action that makes their (people's) lives better".
"I know that the people are sick and tired of the whining and the complaining and the doom and gloom. They want heroes... We have to win the people over," he said.
This year, former British prime minister Tony Blair is attending, as well as Austrian Prime Minister Christian Stocker and Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen.
Around 2.4 million people use the city's public transport per day, according to Wiener Linien. The Austrian capital has around two million inhabitants.
cjk-bg-jza/js
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
New eurozone rate cut expected as Trump trade war weighs
US President Donald Trump's tariff blitz, persistent growth worries and slowing inflation are expected to prompt eurozone rate-setters to lower borrowing costs again on Thursday. It would be the European Central Bank's seventh consecutive interest rate cut, with officials having shifted focus from taming consumer price rises to easing pressure on the sluggish eurozone economy. Trump's tariffs have added to an already uncertain outlook for the single-currency area, with Europe firmly in his crosshairs, fuelling fears about a heavy hit to the continent's exporters. Expectations that the Frankfurt-based institution will deliver a fresh rate cut were strengthened this week when data showed eurozone inflation eased to 1.9 percent in May, faster than expected and below its two-percent target. "Any doubts about an ECB interest rate cut this week have now been eliminated," said Dirk Schumacher, chief economist at German public lender KfW. Analysts expect another quarter-point reduction that would take the central bank's key deposit rate to two percent. Observers will be on the lookout for any hints from ECB President Christine Lagarde at her press conference that policymakers could hit pause at their next meeting in July, as some expect. The ECB's series of cuts stands in contrast to the US Federal Reserve, which has kept rates on hold recently amid fears that Trump's levies could stoke inflation in the world's top economy. - Questions on Lagarde's future - Lagarde may also face questions on her own future after the Financial Times last week reported she had discussed leaving the ECB early to take the helm of the World Economic Forum, which organises the annual Davos gathering. The ECB has however insisted that Lagarde is "determined" to finish her term, which ends in 2027. Trump, who argues his tariffs will bring manufacturing jobs back to the United States, has already hit the EU with multiple waves of levies. The bloc currently faces a 10-percent "baseline" levy as well as higher duties on specific sectors. He has paused even higher rates on the EU and other trading partners to allow for talks, but he continues to launch fresh salvos that are keeping the world on edge. This week he doubled tariffs on aluminium and steel from 25 to 50 percent and last month threatened the EU with an escalation if it did not negotiate a swift deal. For the ECB, it is a tricky task to protect the eurozone from the mercurial US president's trade policies while keeping inflation stable. The ECB is expected to cut its inflation predictions when it releases its own new economic forecasts Thursday, with most observers now believing that Trump's tariffs will add to downward pressure. - Easing inflation - This is due to factors including tariff-hit China redirecting inexpensive manufactured goods to Europe, recent strengthening of the euro and potentially lower energy prices. The ECB is also likely to cut its growth estimates Thursday due to the impact of the trade war, after the EU slashed its forecasts last month. Lower inflation and slower growth should push the ECB to make further rate cuts, but there are some factors making this uncertain. These include signs of resilience in the eurozone economy at the start of the year and a a potentially inflationary spending blitz planned by the new German government. Given the lack of clarity, ING bank analyst Carsten Brzeski said he believes the ECB would like to take a breather at its next meeting in July. "Unless trade tensions return with a vengeance, our suspicion is that the ECB would like to stick to a wait-and-see approach over the summer," he said. sr/sea/lth Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Israeli foreign minister expected in Berlin, with Gaza on the agenda
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul plans to welcome his Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar to Berlin on Thursday, with the situation in the Gaza Strip causing concern in the government in Berlin. The two foreign ministers are to pay a joint visit to Berlin's Holocaust Memorial near the Brandenburg Gate and lay a wreath at the memorial for Europe's murdered Jews. The steles of the Holocaust Memorial recall the approximately 6 million Jews murdered during the Nazi dictatorship. Wadephul met Saar during his first official visit to Israel on May 11. During political talks later Thursday, the operations being conducted by the Israeli military and the catastrophic situation facing the civilian population in the Gaza Strip are likely to be discussed. Wadephul pledged further German arms deliveries to Israel during an address to parliament on Wednesday. The assistance was necessary given the terrorism Israel faced from Hamas, the Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen and the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon, he said. Wadephul had caused concern within the German government for earlier comments to a newspaper in which he made arms deliveries to Israel dependent on a legal evaluation of Israel's military action in the Gaza Strip.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Germany's Merz starts his inaugural visit to Washington
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz landed in Washington early on Thursday - the first step in his inaugural visit to the United States since taking office last month, as many Germans question his diplomatic abilities. Merz is due to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House at 11:30 am (1530 GMT) on Thursday, followed by a press briefing in the Oval Office and a working lunch. Perils of the Oval Office Many observers are wondering if Merz will suffer the recent fates of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who both had press briefings in the Oval Office. Both were sharply attacked by Trump during those encounters. Merz's meeting is expected to focus on efforts to end the war in Ukraine, NATO's response to growing external threats and the tariff dispute between the United States and the European Union. The German leader has made it clear that he is not travelling to Washington as a "supplicant" and will confidently represent European positions. The chancellor is only going to be in the US capital for around 17 hours. He is expected to spend the night at Blair House, the president's guest house. Merz and Trump met briefly in New York many years ago. However, since the chancellor took office four weeks ago, they have spoken on the phone four times. One of those calls was a one-to-one conversation, the other three involved a larger group of other European leaders discussing the war in Ukraine. Poll shows doubts about Merz's diplomatic prowess A poll published on Wednesday by German public broadcaster ARD found that nearly half - 47% - of respondents believe the new chancellor lacks the diplomatic finesse needed to handle foreign policy challenges, while 40% believe he possesses such skills. Of those surveyed, 46% think Merz will establish a good rapport with Trump, while 44% do not share this confidence. A significant majority of respondents (73%) currently consider the United States to be an untrustworthy partner, according to the ARD-Deutschlandtrend survey. The polling institute Infratest Dimap conducted the survey on behalf of ARD, interviewing 1,292 eligible voters this week. Chancellor backed by EU on Ukraine Merz's foreign minister has no such doubts, as Johann Wadephul said on Wednesday that Merz will be bolstered by significant European support for Ukraine. "I hope that he will formulate a strong position of freedom alongside the US president in support of Ukraine," Wadephul said in response to a reporter's question during a meeting with his Polish counterpart Radosław Sikorski in Berlin. Wadephul noted that such European unity over Ukraine support has not been seen for many years. "That is why a strengthened chancellor is travelling to Washington with a great deal of positive European backing," he said. Merz is not only travelling to Washington for his inaugural visit with Trump but also as the first European leader since the latest negotiations between Ukraine and Russia began, Wadephul emphasized. "Europe expects that together, the US and Europe will now bring Russia to the negotiating table," he added. "This opportunity for peace must not be wasted. And this war must finally come to a just end."
